Introducing the Wohlfords--Tara and John

Hi! John and I have been married for almost 4 years. I just turned 30 and John is 35. We live in Lexington, KY.

Boy/Girl-We are first time parents. We requested a girl or twins. So I guess there is a slight possibility that we could get a boy if we got twins. But we've been window shopping for girl stuff. Our hearts are set on twins, even though I know we shouldn't be getting our hopes up.

Age requested-We have requested as young as possible, up to 18 months.

Name-Gemma if we get a girl. I did my student teaching in England and loved the name. I had a very sweet Gemma in my class! If we get 2 girls the second will be Carly. If we get boys will give your their names then. We want to save a little mystery for the future!

Nursery Theme--We have a very tiny bedroom with an outdoor theme. We painted the sky, grass, and animals. But since we are trying for twins we are going to go ahead and make this a playroom so we can have a bigger nursery. I think the nursery theme is going to be hula frogs, but I'm not 100% sure on that yet. Our bathroom is full of rubber ducks.

Likes--bright colors, music, my laptop, variety--it's the spice of life, educational stuff (it's the teacher in me)

Dislikes---cats (sorry cat people)

Hobbies--quilting, scrapbooking, stamping, writing, traveling, photography

Favorite fragrance or scent-Anything, especially strong scents. Since we're having a baby, the baby powder scent has been a favorite. We try to use organic stuff as much as possible.

Favorite books/author-It has to be somewhat educational. Christian books are good. Right now I am interested in books on China and parenting. I love children's books as well and have a very large picture book collection.

Movies-The classic-Grease, I also love The Pirate Movie with Christy McNickle and Christopher Atkins. Most people have never seen that one, but I would LOVE to have it on DVD. I've worn out my VHS. If anyone knows where I can get it, please let me know!!! And I can't forget my favorite "modern" movie--Zoolander! We love to laugh.

Music--Again, variety is good. But nothing cheesy! And no rap.

Registered --Not yet. We're afraid to register this far in advance because stores change thier inventory so quickly. But we'll probably register this fall at Target and Babies"R"Us. I think we're going to register at Pottery Barn Kids. I don't know if anyone would actually buy us anything from there because there isn't one anywhere around here, but their stuff is too cute!

Thanks for reading! And thank you Secret Pal!
Visit our site http://wohlfordbabies.chinastork.com

Greetings!

Ahhh! Sedona!

1. Name and intro: We are Alison and Chris in Tucson. We are DTC 3/17 and haven't gotten a log-in date as of yet! We do not have any other children, just a kitty named Drak! I am 39 and Chris is 44. We are originally from the St. Louis area, I have been in Tucson for 11 years. We are adopting through Holt International.

2. Girl or Boy requested- Girls! (yes, we asked for twins!)

3. Age requested- as young as possible.

4. Child’s name- Iris (still working on second name!)

5. Nursery/theme- Nature oriented, deep sage green and photos of flowers.

6. Likes/dislikes- Chocolate, tea and coffee. Like notebooks and art supplies. A photo album, or blank books for documenting our journey would be wonderful! Love handmade items. Dislikes- Disney, pastels.

7. Hobbies/Collections- I knit, make jewelry, and enjoy geneological research. Chris likes photography & maps. We both like hiking, cooking, reading, and travel.

8. Favorite fragrance or scent- No perfume, but lavender, citrus for bath or body spray.

9. Favorite author or books- Non-fiction. Books about China. Travel or cook books. Any recommended reads you might have about parenting! Children's books would be great! We do not yet own any adoption-themed children's books.

10. Favorite movies- Child appropriate movies are needed! We do not have any children so your top picks for kids would be fantastic! We watch a ton of movies but don't collect them.

11. Favorite music-We like everything except top 40, we especially like indie, old jazz (charlie parker, miles davis) and alt country music. Children's music would be great! I especially like the CD's with children's songs from around the world! (Latin beat, etc.)

12. Registered at what store(s)- We haven't done this yet! Will update post if this gets accomplished!

13. Anything else you’d like your secret pal to know about you? Thanks for participating in the secret pal, it will make the wait a lot more fun. Oh, be careful about anything that is heat sensitive in the the mail to Tucson this summer. It really does get to 110 degrees and probably hotter in my mailbox!

All about Matthew and Lenora

1. Hello, My name is Lenora Totten. I have been married to Matthew for 6 years. We have just turned 30.We have 3 furry children-Raleigh(lhasa apso), Mollie(cat), and Sophie(?? dog). We live in Springdale, AR.

2. Boy/Girl-We are requesting a girl.

3. Age requested-We have requested as close to 6 months as possible.

4. Name-Grace CN

5. Nursery/Theme-We have not started on the nursery yet. Right now, we are thinking it will be pink and green with flowers and dragonflies.

6. Likes--My family(esp my furry kids), Travel, Stamping, and Shopping Dislikes---dirt or clutter, burnt food, and green peppers

7. My hobbies include stamping, travel, and trying to learn to cook.

8. Favorite fragrance or scent-I don't like perfume. I do like scents of food(buttercream) or light scent(lemon or rain).

9. Favorite books/author-I am really a magazine girl. When I do get a chance to read it is usually a mystery.

10. Movies-Sweet Home Alabama, For Love of the Game, and You've Got Mail

11. Music--I'm not picky-I listen to opera, jazz, country, classical, rock,etc.

12. Registered where?-We are not registered yet.

13. I am so excited about the swap and can't wait

Sarah

1) My name is Sarah Condon-Jones (aged 35) and I live in the UK with my husband, Dan, and two children - Asher (aged 4) adopted from Thailand and Abi (aged 2) adopted from China. I am a primary school teacher but at the moment I am at home raising our two imps - far more exhausting than any days work I have ever done!

2/3) We have asked for a child aged between 0 - 12 months and have left it up to CCAA to decide whether it will be a boy or a girl.

4) We haven't reached an agreement on names as yet (by that I mean I haven't quite persuaded Dan to go with my choices!) but we will keep our child's Chinese name as their middle name.

5) Our baby's room has just been painted a light spring like green with cream carpet. I don't think we will do anything else towards it until we have our referral so that we have something to do to pass the time while we wait to travel! Whatever it is it will be bright and cheerful.

Update - I saw some bamboo dragonflies in Habitat the other day (some natural bamboo, some stained geen) which has sort of inspired me to go for a slight dragonfly theme but not overly girly as we don't know if we will be having a boy or a girl.

6) Quite easy going on the likes/dislikes front. I do have a bit of an aversion to very cutesy, pastel shade baby stuff though! Oh and I'm not wildly into themed things like Winnie The Pooh, etc. I do like vibrant cartoony kids stuff, just not book/TV character things - sorry I sound really fussy!

7) I like reading, cooking, walking, crafts, meeting up with friends.

8) Favourite smells - citrus, cinnamon, fresh coffee.

9) I can not possible choose a favourite author! I like reading anything pretty much - Iain Banks, Margaret Atwood, Jodie Picoult, Amy Tan, etc, etc. I am currently reading 'Wild Swans' for about the 10th time and finding it as moving/shocking/informative as the first time I read it. When it comes to children's books I can't resist buying them. We have quite a few adoption themed ones already - I Love you Like Crazy Cakes, A Mother for Choco, Happy Adoption Day, etc, etc and they are very popular with our two kids.

10 Again I don't have any one film in mind as my all time favourite. I will watch horror (not too much blood and guts though!), thriller, comedy, the occasional weepy, true life - anything really!
11) Musical taste - It's probably easier for me to say what I don't like - country, metal, rap or very commercial pop.

12) We're not registered anywhere.

13)Anything else you need to know - Each to their own but we are not in any way religious so don't really go for things about prayer, faith, etc, etc.

Lisa Spencer

1. 1. I'm Lisa Spencer (and my husband is Art). We have been married two years this May 1st. We are both in our forties...just in our forties! We will be first time parents. We bought a big house a year ago and can't wait to add to our family. We have a brand new puppy, Sophie, and she keeps us very busy!

2. We requested a girl.

3. As young as possible 8 - 12 months.

4. Emily Ann (Chinese name) Spencer is what we will name our daughter.

5. Nursery theme: Olivia the Pig books - love them! I am doing it in red, white and black. My brother-in-law is painting Olivia on the wall! We are starting on the nursery this summer. I can hardly wait!

6. I like life , my family (especially my husband) and friends! I have a sarcastic sense of humor and love to laugh. I like Extreme Makeover Home Edition, even though it makes me cry. I don't like brussel sprouts!

7. Hobbies/Collections : knitting (new passion), crocheting, sewing, making jewelry and reading (love a good mystery ). I love Boyd's bears and anything to do with our countries flag - I was red, white and blue before it was cool. I love to decorate my house for the seasons/holidays.

8. Favorite fragrance or scent : discontinued! Yikes - I am currently experimenting - kind of like Pleasures, but still looking (smelling LOL).

9. Favorite author or books : Olivia all of them (children's book) Patricia Cornwell, Jonathan Kellerman . ..and many more. I love to read and will read most things...or should I say I enjoy reading fiction, nothing heavy.

10. Favorite movies : Cutting Edge (she's sassy), How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days (never laughed so hard at a movie).

11. Favorite music : Country primarily - but will listen to most anything else (no hard rock, rap or grunge)

12. Registered at what store(s) : Yikes - I'm still in therapy from our wedding registry - It was an overwhelming experience!

I love buying presents for people - my husband says I'm a natural born giver! But I'm not found of shopping for myself.

Getting to know more about Doris Clark

1.Name: I am Doris of Dan and Doris Clark. We are first time parents who live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I turned 31 on April 8th and Dan will be 35 in October. We have our forever furry baby, Daisy. We are fun and outgoing and love to spend time together and with our friends and family. We have been married 4 years this May and have been together now 12 years.

2. Girl or Boy requested - Girl

3. Age requested – 0-12 months

4. Child’s name – Daphne “Chinese Name” Clark

5. Nursery/theme – “Camelot” (Think castles, friendly dragons, knights and damsels.) The bedding set inspired us…the set is here: http://tinyurl.com/ndfho

6. Likes/dislikes – Lots of likes. Not many dislikes. Pretty easy going!

7. Hobbies/Collections – Reading, greeting card making, cooking, wine making and sampling.

8. Favorite fragrance or scent – Lilac & citrus

9. Favorite author or books – Too many to choose! (Sue Grafton, Patricia Cornwell, Diane Mott Davidson, Dan Browne, Sophie Kinsella just to name a few.)

10. Favorite movies –“ The Commitments” “Rocky Horror Picture Show” “Little Nicky” “Charlie’s Angels” “Crash”

11. Favorite music – I love all types…my music list is VERY diverse.

12. Registered at what store(s) – Toys R Us (Canada) Here is our registry: http://tinyurl.com/qr2lg

13. Anything else you’d like your secret pal to know about you? - I love surprises and I am very easy going. I love things that have meaning or can be sentimental. This is going to be lots of fun! This is our site: http://spaces.msn.com/danandddoris/

Keep smilin!

Sandi

A little bit about me: My name is Sandi Stone. I'm single and 43 years old. I don't have any children unless you count the 4 footed kind (a dog and cat). I grew up on a farm, where my parents still live and my brother farms. I lived in Chicago and Cleveland for about 12 years before moving back to Iowa a little over 10 years ago to be near my family. I live in a 125 year old farm house so I usually have some kind of house project going on. I'm a 4-H and Clover Kids (4-H for K-3) leader. I'm also a Stampin' Up! demonstrator.

Girl or Boy Requested: A girl

Age Requested: 0-9 months

Child's Name: Danielle “Chinese name” Ellen (my grandmother)
(Dani for short)

Nursery Theme: I haven’t started yet as I’m waiting until after Easter to start stripping all the decades of paint off the woodwork and refinishing the wood floors. When I actually get around to painting, I’m going to paint the room a sky blue with wispy clouds and I’m going to stencil pinwheels above the baseboards with some dragonflies and ladybugs thrown in for good luck. Mostly pastel colors.

Likes/Dislikes: Green is my favorite color almost any shade though I lean more towards sage and the muted hues. I love ice cream and almost all foods, though nothing too spicy. Not sure what I’ll do if my daughter craves spicy. Prefer spending time at home or with my family. Love to watch the Food and Home & Garden networks for food and decorating ideas. Have been taking some Chinese cooking classes through community ed. Hate shopping unless I have something specific in mind.

Hobbies/Collections: I enjoy all kinds of crafts (cross-stitch, cardmaking/scrapbooking, floral, quilting, etc.), fishing, reading, and gardening (though not the weeding part). I collect snowmen.

Favorite Fragrance or Scent: I wear Opium by Yves Saint Laurent. I also like simple smells like vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin, etc.

Favorite Author or Book: Nora Roberts or historical romances.

Favorite Movies: My all time favorite actor is Cary Grant. I also like the old musicals, White Christmas, Singin’ in the Rain, Mary Poppins.

Favorite Music: I was a 70’s teenager so I love the Bee Gees, Billy Joel, Elton, the Eagles, Hootie and the Blowfish, etc.

Registered at what stores: Target, Walmart, Babies R Us

Anything else you’d like your secret pal to know about you: Gift cards are always welcome so don’t stress yourself out if don’t have time to find something to match the monthly theme.

Getting to know Trisha O'Brien

1. Name: Trisha and Mike O'Brien

A little about our family: We have been married for 20 years on June 7 2006, and live in Ontario Canada. We have 3 sons and are excited about adopting a little girl.

2. Girl of boy requested: Girl requested

3. Age requested: 12 to 24 months of age ( as young as possible in this category)

4. Child's Name: Anisha (have not decided on the rest of her name)

5. Nursery/Theme: Barbie with ladies bugs. Room colour is rose, light purple and
light blue

6. Likes/Dislikes: I enjoy sunsets, travelling, and spending time with my family. I enjoy learning new languages, trying new cuisines both eating and cooking them.

Dislikes: I dislike going into a grocery store and wearing a buggy as part of my clothing.

7. Hobbies/Collections: I crotchet, sew, cook, read, collect music boxes and spoons from around the world

8. Favourite fragrance or scent: Exclamation, and anything with a strawberry or chocolate scent to it

9. Favourite author or books: I enjoy reading a good mystery, comedy or scary story

10. Favourite movies: I am a big kid at heart and love cartoons!! I like to watch Scooby Doo Cartooons as well as the Flinstones and the Jetsons. I sit down with my children and watch these every Saturday. I love to sit down and watch Hindi movies also.

I love comedies! I could sit down and watch 2 at a time when my schedule permits me to. I also like to watch romantic movies and a good chase movie.

11. Favourite Music: I like anything that has a really good beat to it which allows me to get up and dance.

12. Registered at what store: Walmart

13. Anything else you'd like your secret pal to know about you? I am very anxious to adopt our little girl from China. I love to sit down and watch Hindi movies and am currently learning to speak Mandarin. I enjoy meeting new people am very outgoing and am willing to try new things.